Easy Does It By relaxing at the plate, the Orioles' B.J. Surhoff has discovered his power stroke--and peace of mind

B.J. Surhoff did not always view each at bat as a matter of lifeor death. There was a time when he took the game much moreseriously. "I'd have a bad day, and I'd let it affect my entirelife," says Surhoff. "I've gotten a lot better in that way."

He's gotten better in almost every way. At 34, in his 13th bigleague season, Surhoff is stronger, smarter and more confidentthan he once was, and not quite as sullen. The BaltimoreOrioles' leftfielder still smiles about as often as teammateAlbert Belle sends a balloon-a-gram to the press box, butSurhoff says he no longer allows the game's daily grind to wearhim down.

These days he steps into the batter's box without fear ofstriking out or losing his job, an approach that has freed himto enjoy his most productive season--and, as a result, to earnhis first trip to the All-Star Game. Batting third in theBaltimore order, Surhoff entered the midseason break not onlywith the second-most hits in the majors (123) and theseventh-best average in the American League (.332) but also withsurprising power numbers. His 20 home runs and 71 RBIs were topson the woeful Orioles and put him on pace to shatter his careerhighs of 22 and 92, respectively.

"The power has always been there; I just had to find a way totap it," says Surhoff. "Mostly it's a matter of learning torelax at the plate. You don't worry about striking out andlooking bad as much as before."

In his first eight years in the majors, all with the MilwaukeeBrewers, Surhoff never hit more than seven home runs in aseason. "I used to play him to spray the ball to left or leftcenter," says Baltimore centerfielder Brady Anderson. "Now he'sgot unbelievable power to center and right."

Surhoff started putting the game in perspective in 1995, hisninth and last year with Milwaukee. He had been a free agentafter an injury-plagued '94 season but signed a minor leaguecontract with the Brewers despite having received two majorleague offers. He stuck with the big club after spring trainingbut played six positions that season. Still fighting for jobsecurity at 30, he had his best year at the plate: .320, 13homers and 73 RBIs in just 117 games. Then the Orioles lured himaway with a three-year, $3.7 million free-agent deal. LastDecember, Surhoff re-upped with Baltimore for three more yearsand $14 million. "I never wanted to leave Milwaukee," he says,"but this was just a perfect fit."

Finally, Surhoff could step up to the plate without one eye onthe rearview mirror. He was free to swing for the fences andstrike out. Last season he fanned a career-high 81 times, andthis year he has struck out 42 times. No big deal. He knowshe'll still have a job when he gets back to the dugout.

The Orioles didn't mess with Surhoff even after they signedBelle, a career leftfielder, as a free agent following lastseason; the new guy switched to right. The team's confidence inSurhoff served to raise his faith in himself. "He's got a prettygood idea of how to play this game now," says Baltimore hittingcoach Terry Crowley, "and a pretty good swing."

Indeed, while Surhoff has decent size (6'1", 200 pounds) andstrength, he relies on exceptional timing to generate power. Hishome run stroke often looks like a gentle flick of the wristuntil the ball sails beyond the rightfield fence. "It's likegolf," he says. "Sometimes the best hits are the ones you canbarely feel off the bat."

And sometimes a player needs time to learn that by relaxing, hecan get a lot more of those hits.

--Gerry Callahan

COLOR PHOTO: TOM DIPACE ON THE NOSE Surhoff is on track to finish with career highs in batting average, home runs and RBIs.

Suddenly Sluggers

Proven sluggers aren't the only ones teeing off in this year'shomerfest. Long-ball fever has trickled down to hitters withaverage power. The following players, each of whom hit at least10 home runs in a season before 1999, already had surpassedtheir career highs by the midseason break.